Quest for the Crystal Trident
by Triteia624
Summary: A mermaid princess, a hybrid squirrel, a rocker squid, her jazz-loving twin brother, and a naive sea star are unknowingly qualified to be the bearers of the legendary Crystal Trident, a weapon known to spread purity throughout the seven seas, as an evil threat puts their home in great jeopardy.
1. Prologue

_Long ago, back when the Titans were vanquished, back when the gods began to rule the earth, and back when Bikini Bottom was nothing more than an empty wasteland, chaos still brewed within the ocean like a boiling cauldron, spreading panic through every mortal's mind. No one knew where this chaos originated, let alone settled in the aquatic world, but all remembered the form it took itself in; a large, ominous beast, capable of making one's heart stop just by looking into its dark, blood-red eyes. It ruled a large portion of the sea except for a growing kingdom on the tallest mountain in it, but greed made it come after it, threatening the safety of its inhabitants._

King Neptune, the true ruler of the kingdom, knew this beast could not be stopped with his strongest weapon and symbol (the trident), so he set out to create a weapon of purity to rid of the beast's wicked soul. With the help of Cyclops, he created a weapon stronger than all the gods combined; it was a trident made not of gold, but pure, strong crystal found within the grandest of underwater volcanoes. With it, the ocean god defeated the beast, and peace spread throughout the land.

However, the impurities separated from the crystal trident formed themselves into a dark trident, and the vanquished beast used it to regain its power and shattered its opposite, hiding the pieces within an abandoned temple that not even the wisest could predict they were there. To this day, the pieces of the legendary Crystal Trident remained hidden.

But one day, the most unlikely of heroes, five friends with the purest of hearts, would soon yield its power and face against the greatest threat to ever come to their home...


	2. Chapter 1

It was a lovely morning in Bikini Bottom, the sun penetrating through the ocean's surface unto its buildings, marking another ordinary day. Young fish were enjoying the freedom granted by summer, playing summer games or just swimming in the cool waters of Goo Lagoon. However, most adult fish did not have the time to relax as they were reporting to business, taking care of paying for their taxes for the well-being of them and their families, including a certain optimistic sponge, a grumpy squid, and (believe it or not) a chubby sea star.

However, their children were currently in Jellyfish Fields, preparing to play. However, by the way some were pacing impatiently, it meant that they were waiting for someone.

Thirteen-year-old Samantha SquarePants, or Sam for short, was dribbling a red rubber ball unto the soft grass currently hooking unto her bare feet. She was a brown squirrel with a tuft of hair between her ears and wearing a light green shirt with a purple flower and jeans. If it weren't for her sky-blue eyes, her freckles, and her ability to breathe underwater, people would not have believed that she was the daughter of SpongeBob SquarePants.

"Ugh, where is she?" an impatient Squillian Tentacles beside her asked. She had a head full of short black hair with a neon green streak with bangs and wore a blue shirt with a black vest and skirt. She had a crooked nose just like her mother, Squilvia Tentacles.

"I don't know, but she does have a long way to swim from Atlantis," Squillip Tentacles, her twin brother, answered, stretching himself. He had a bald head and wore a light orange shirt with a green-and-white plaid sweater vest. He strongly resembled his father, Squidward Tentacles, minus his cheery attitude.

If anyone were to take a first glance, they would not believe the two squids were twins, let alone siblings. Squillian was an expert guitarist and passionate rocker who memorized every legendary rock singer's name and guitar. Squillip however preferred jazz music and blew out warm tunes on his saxophone. Their contrasting interests led to fights over whose turn it was to play their instruments in the house without distraction, giving their father another reason to have a migraine.

"Well, it doesn't usually take _that_ long! Her tail fins can flap faster than that!" his sister protested.

"It's only been ten minutes," Sam deadpanned.

"Maybe she ran into traffic," Squillip joked.

"You just had to say something smart, did you?" Squillian groaned.

"Somebody's gotta," her twin shrugged. "Right, Pete?"

He turned to the pink sleeping sea star next to him. He wore a light blue shirt, dark blue shorts, and a red cap with a P on it. He was Peter Star, son of Patrick and Pauline Star.

Peter sat up upon hearing his name and opened his eyes, saying with a yawn, "Sorry, Squillip. I was too busy looking into the inner machinations of my mind, discovering its imaginative wonders."

"In other words, you were asleep," Sam said with a raised brow.

"Exactly," Pete nodded.

Suddenly, something in the sky caught Squillian's eyes. Squinting to make out the identity of the dot, she realized what it was and said flat out, "She's here."

Everyone turned to Squillian's direction and spotted the 'dot' as it swam quickly in their direction. The four stood their ground, knowing it meant no harm.

The dot turned out to be a mermaid around their age, wearing a purple short-sleeved shirt. She had an aquamarine tail, light green skin, and turquoise green eyes. Her long brown hair waved in the water as she swam closer to the four children.

The minute she was right in front of them, Squillian said, "It's about time you showed up, _Princess_."

The mermaid replied jokingly, "Nice to see you too, Squilly."

Sam greeted her in a more friendly way. "Howdy, Triteia!" she exclaimed, running up to her.

"Sam!" the named princess replied, fist-bumping with her before wiggling their fingers together. They then did a backwards fist-bump explosion while making the boom's sound effects before bumping their hips against each other.

Squilly rolled her eyes with a small smile. The little handshake was a small tradition between the two friends every time they meet each other. Ever since they became pals at a young age during a play date, they were figuratively inseparable. Proof of it came in the form of two bracelets; both had threaded pony beads and dangling silver diamond-shaped pendants that said BFF in print.

"If you two are done with your handshake," Squillip said, clearly amused, "we have a game of ball to play."

"And I thought Squilly was the impatient one," Triteia replied with a smile, earning a huff from Squillian.

The five friends went about to play their version of a ball game out in the fields, caring to stay away from jellyfish nests to avoid being stung. Today was certainly looking like a regular day...

For now.

_Meanwhile..._

Not too far from Jellyfish Fields up in a stone-gray valley filled with little to no life, a strange blue glow began to emit from an abandoned Greek-styled temple. It was filled to the brim with withering vines and moss, clearly hinting it had not been maintained for only Neptune knows how long. Many of the columns tilted at an angle that meant the place rotted for so long, it was a wonder it did not just gave way when it pleased. The only irresistible item within was wrapped in a tattered brown cloth tightened with braided rope on a stand in the middle of the temple, covered with strong, thorny branches that guarded the cloth's hidden treasure, which currently is responsible for the uncanny glow.

The branches began to shake and weaken due to the power of its prisoner, rotting and breaking apart. Soon, they all uncoiled from the mysteriously glowing object within, letting its light shine through the translucent cloth. It soon became bright enough to see from a clear distance away.

While the light continued to shine, Triteia swam as fast as she could from Pete in the fields, who appeared to be tiring out too soon. However, it was obvious that he was determined to get the ball back.

Apparently, the friends' version of the game was that the ball had to be 'rescued' by one of two groups. The ball had to be taken back to one of the team's flags, where the winner would be named. There was also the referee who had to check to make sure the players weren't cheating who, in that place, was Squillip.

The squid currently kept watch through a pair of binoculars to check the status of the groups. So far, Triteia and Sam had a strong chance of winning, while Pete along with Squillian were trying with great effort to snatch the ball back and win.

The female squid was currently behind a big coral boulder, crouched down to hide from the princess. Her plan was to surprise her by jumping out, and while she was in shock, she would grab the ball and run to her flag. Unfortunately, Sam was hiding behind the boulder parallel to hers having the same exact idea, only for Pete.

Just as both were about to jump out, Triteia suddenly spotted the glowing light from the valley not far from them. Squinting her eyes to have a better look while still swimming, she did not see Squillian jump out along with Sam, who unfortunately bumped into her, clearing her teammate's path. Triteia continued to swim past them obliviously while Pete stopped and panted leaning against a boulder.

"Ow," Sam groaned, rubbing her head. She looked on as her squid friend rubbed her nose, telling her that she hit it when they crashed into each other.

Squillip ran up to them both and said, "Looks like great minds thought alike and are no longer great."

"Oh, shut up." Squillian growled, the pain in her nose fueling her annoyed tone.

As Pete removed his hat and wiped away the sweat on his forehead, he asked while panting, "Hey... where... did... Tri... go?"

The three looked at each other surprised before looking ahead. There, standing just a few feet from them, was Triteia. She stood motionlessly as she stared up at the valley, her back facing the group.

"Tri?" Sam asked worriedly as she approached the princess. She looked in her direction and saw the blue light on the valley, which was glowing slightly brighter. Carefully looking at her expression, Sam seemed to only turn even more worried.

"I know that look," Sam said seemingly despaired. "It's the curious look you make every time you see something interesting and want to check it out, which will probably cost one of our lives."

"Yep," was Triteia's reply.

Suddenly, with a smile, Sam said, "Count me in."

Hearing their friends' words, Squillian immediately came between the two and exclaimed, waving her arms back and forth and shaking her head, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa!"

Sam and Triteia looked at each other nervously, fearing that she was willing to stop them.

Squillian suddenly put on a playful grin, saying, "Who ever said you're going without me? I could use an adventure."

Squillip added, raising his tentacle, "Same here!"

Sam shrugged and said, "Well, the more, the merrier!"

The four began to walk towards the valley, leaving a fearful Pete behind. Even though he liked adventuring, the valley's dark theme left him frozen in his tracks.

A young jellyfish passing by saw the still yet shaking pre-teen and took its chance. Sneaking up to his bottom, it rubbed its stingers together mischievously before delivering a painful sting.

"YEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWW!" Pete cried in pain before running in his friends' direction, dreading another sting and grabbing his bottom. "WAIT FOR ME, GUYS!"

The jellyfish dusted off his stingers satisfied before floating away, leaving Pete to catch up with the others.


	3. Chapter 2

The five preteens journeyed through the cracked path to the temple, aging remains of columns drawn with withered roots. They looked around them, some feeling spooked about the uncanny appearance. Triteia however stared at the place with a curious look as if she were treading down the vendor area in Atlantis instead of a gloomy valley.

"Man, this place is creepy," Squillian noted before making air quotes, "and I mean way creepier than the 'haunted' houses set up on Halloween."

"No kidding," Peter, who lingered behind them fearfully, agreed.

"Well, look on the bright side," Squillip shrugged. "At least we don't have to worry about anything flying at us."

Suddenly, a flock of black scallops flew at them, causing Pete to scream and hug Squillian. The squid pushed him off and said, "Chill, Pete! It's just a bunch of scallops!"

The young sea star just shook with fear. Sam noticed and said, "Maybe bringing Pete wasn't such a good idea, Triteia. Maybe we should..."

The squirrel turned to her friend, her words pausing as she looked on ahead. There, in front of them, laid the glowing object under the translucent cloth. Its blue light reflected off Triteia's green eyes before she bravely propelled herself forward, stopping mere inches in front of the stand.

The others looked on curiously and fearfully for their friend. She tugged at the rope with all her strength, grunting loudly, but the rope refused to budge.

"Guys," the princess called, "give me a hand with this!"

The four looked nervously at each other, but they knew better than to let their friend down. They strutted with all the courage they could muster up to the stand and examined the rope, hardly noticing the glow turning brighter with each step closer.

"Hmm," Sam thought aloud, "this rope is quite aged. Nothing a little gnaw or two can't handle."

She began to nibble the rope despite its moldy, ancient taste and, sure enough, it was no match for her bucked teeth. It immediately came undone, and the others did not waste a second. They tugged it off and tossed it away before facing the final force- the cloth.

No one moved a muscle. The mesmerizing blue light glowed brightly, but not to the point where they had to cover their eyes. It tempted the friends continuously as they stared at it intensely, wondering what treasure the cloth beheld.

Finally, Squillian narrowed her eyelids with a bored expression and said, "Ah, the heck with it!"

She grabbed the rope and with one yank removed the blanket, revealing the treasure.

Everyone gasped in surprise before turning confused.

The glow came from five smooth crystal-made cylinder shapes- a long staff, two angles with points on the end, a tube shaped like a pencil, and a diamond. All five suddenly stopped emitting the blue light. Triteia stared at the pieces curiously, finding them oddly familiar...

"That was what caused the weird eerie glow?" Squillian deadpanned.

"Phew!" Pete said in relief, wiping his forehead. "For a second, I thought it was a bunch of jellyfish." He grimaced as he rubbed the area where the jellyfish stung him earlier.

"Wait a sec," Triteia announced, causing all heads to turn to her.

"What is it, Tri?" Squillip asked.

The princess carefully took the two angled pieces and squeezed them. Despite the glass look, they were resistant to the compression.

"I wonder..." she muttered as she set them parallel to each other on the stand, where they suddenly merged together perfectly, leaving a triangle-shaped cavity on each end.

Everyone stared in awe as Triteia took the staff and pointed tube, placing the latter on top and the former on the bottom. Like the angles, they merged together with them, leaving a diamond shaped cavity where all the blunt ends meet.

"It's a trident!" Sam exclaimed.

"I believe a more accurate term would be a fork," Pete pointed out, only to be bonked on the head by Squillian. "Ow!"

"A trident, made out of pure crystal," Squillip mused, tapping the object.

"But look," his twin pointed out, "There's a piece missing!" She gestured to the cavity.

"No, it's not! It's right there!" Pete argued, pointing to the neglected diamond next to the trident.

"Oops! Thanks Pete!" Triteia said aloud before scooping the diamond with two gentle hands. Placing it in its rightful place, she pushed it in.

Suddenly, the trident floated, standing upwards in the air. It began to glow brightly again, this time causing everyone to squeeze their eyes shut. The pointed ends shot a colorful light up to the sky, which then curved downward at Triteia. The light then connected to the others as they opened their eyes, and they began to float upwards and spin around the trident. The glow intensified before it sent a shock wave explosion across the ocean, alerting the inhabitants.

Soon, the shock wave reached an obsidian cave miles from Bikini Bottom, causing a small seaquake. Bits of loose rock fell unto its giant owner, who opened his eyes from the interruption of his nap. His lizard eyes narrowed as he reached the entrance, where he could see with his enhanced vision the light from the abandoned temple. He gave a wicked sharp-toothed smile as he realized what it was.

"Well, well," he chuckled evilly, "looks like I have a problem to take care of." He turned to a glass case surrounded by candles in his cave, which contained a trident similar to the one found by the five friends, only black with ugly red cracks and a ruby in the middle.

Its bearer said to it with great malice, "I could use a challenge; wouldn't you agree?"

He began to laugh again as the trident gave an ominous red glow, signalling trouble for not just the five friends, but their home as well.


End file.
